There are SO many lists out there right now... lists about how to lose weight in 14 steps, or 23 things you should do before you get married, so I thought I'd add something to the mix. There are 362 days left this year... I'm sure I can fit 30 things in before I say farewell to my twenties.
I've had a fairly exciting life so far.... I'm not complaining. But when I see photos of my good friends on Facebook traveling the world with companies like Backroads, I tend to get jealous. And frustrated with myself. I know I could do what they're doing, but I have a certain amount of fear in me that holds me back.
I'm not saying my parents weren't incredible at raising my brother and I... we turned out OK, but I don't feel like they challenged us to think outside of the box... to explore.... to question authority. My mom, a former free-spirit hippie who used to backpack around the US in a VW van turned her life around when I was born. Unfortunately for my brother and I, this meant she was always worried about something. No matter what activity we did, she worried. She was always contemplating the worst scenario in any activity that I did. For example, in ski racing, she assumed I would hurt myself -- hit my head -- get a concussion or break some bones. In horseback riding, I would fall -- hit my head -- break some bones. When I proposed going to my senior party that went until 4am, I would drive drunk -- crash my car -- kill someone else.
And Mom, know that I love you to death and am grateful for EVERYTHING, but I hold onto this worrisome fear in my everyday life. In situations that should excite me, I'm scared. I start to go over every little scenario and every little thing that could go wrong. This fear has held me back from traveling alone, taking risks in work, and partaking in activities I once found exhilarating -- like skiing.
What do we really have to lose? I honestly believe our souls live on in some way or another, so why not live to the fullest? Why NOT try something new? Why NOT scare myself? Of course, everything in moderation... and safety is always going to be a priority, but I think it's time to do some living... because this body my soul inhabits is only getting older.
So, since it's a New Year and the last year I will be a twenty-something... here's 30 things I gotta' do before I turn 30. And if I don't finish them, I guess I'll add 20 and make it 50 things I do before 50... because one of my "resolutions" on this list is to stop being so hard on myself.
1. Learn Italian
2. Finish Learning French... just learn a new language, even if you suck at it.
3. Travel to Italy
4. Travel to France (I figure if I'm in Italy, I can kill a few birds with one stone and step over the border into Italy)... travel wherever YOU want to go.
5. Play at least one instrument at least once this year... the one you have hidden away in your closet (I know I have a few)
6. Get a Mountain Bike. Get a road bike. Buy some skate skis. Buy a parachute... Buy something that you can do all by yourself... whenever you want. Read the book: What Color is Your Parachute?
7. Run a marathon and definitely run that 22 mile trail in Kauai.
8. Run a couple (maybe). Run some half marathons, 5Ks and 10Ks
9. Drive across the US
10. Start swimming.
11. Embrace the artist that you are.
12. Read a book. Read 10.
13. See important people speak, like Ira Glass (checking that off my list tomorrow night). See your favorite band play. Dance. Go to a TEDx event. Visit the website TED.com more often.
14. Swim in the ocean.
15. Swim in a river. In a lake. In a gulf. Surf.
16. Visit your grandparents. Ask them questions - questions about how the world has changed... how their perspective has changed... what they learned in their 80-90 years on this earth... ask them about their regrets and make sure not to make the same mistakes.
17. Send out birthday cards to all of your relatives... send out Christmas cards (I have yet to establish this habit).
18. Do yoga more. Meditate more. Be flexible... in mind and body.
19. Worry less.
20. Eat more ice cream.
21. Wear sandals later into the Fall and Spring colors during the Winter.
22. Kill people with kindness... and find that even the nastiest people turn around.
23. Don't worry so much about money, about where you thought you'd be in life, about finding someone else to make you happy... make yourself happy first.
24. Always work harder on being a better person... develop a healthy addiction... a passion.
25. Volunteer. And be consistent.
26. Even if you're broke, donate money to a worthy cause. Support a friend's Kickstarter campaign.
27. Accept your beauty now, because beauty fades... and when it does, make sure you worked hard on being beautiful on the inside.
28. Random Acts of Kindness -- do them all the time.
29. Leave your phone at home for a whole day. For a week. Turn it off.
30. Be comfortable in your skin. Love yourself. Accept yourself.
No comments:
Post a Comment